Meyer homicide trial is 'about responsibility' DA says on day one

The first day of Donald B. Meyer Jr.'s homicide trial has closed after testimony from some of the key witnesses who were there in 2016 when an eviction in Penn Twp. went wrong, resulting in the death of Meyer's 12-year-old daughter.

Meyer, 60, is charged with homicide and manslaughter, among other crimes, in the death of daughter Ciara Meyer, who was shot by a state constable on Jan. 11, 2016 after Donald Meyer pointed a semi-automatic rifle at him.

Perry County District Attorney Andrew Bender laid out the case for the charges against Donald Meyer in his opening remarks to the jury, saying it's not a typical homicide trial.

"The whole trial is about responsibility," Bender said. Even though Donald Meyer didn't pull the trigger on the gun that killed his daughter, he was responsible for the escalation of what happened that day, he said.

"The death of Ciara Meyer is directly attributable to Donald Meyer's actions," Bender said. "Had he not done that, she would be with us here today."

The trial had been moved to Williamsport earlier this year because of the attention it received in Perry County.

In the Lycoming County courtroom, the jury saw the videos of the incident multiple times, as well as photos of the crime scene that included the body of Ciara Meyer on the living room floor. In the video, Donald Meyer opens the door during the eviction and points the rifle at constable Clark Steele. Steele draws his gun and fires a single shot, then retreats when the apartment door closes. The bullet hit Meyer in the arm, passed through and hit Ciara Meyer in the chest, killing her.

The video was taken by Ashley Hill, the property manager for thee apartments in Penn Twp. where the Meyers lived. She testified the Meyers were being evicted because they hadn't paid rent. She had a tearful recounting of the events of that day, saying she could hear Ciara Meyer trying to urge her father to stop before he pointed the gun at Steele.

But Meyer's defense attorney said in opening statements that there is more to that day than just the actions. The jury also has to take into account what Meyer was thinking.

"The video doesn't tell you what was in his mind," said Jerry Philpott, Meyer's attorney.

According to Philpott, Meyer was afraid of burglaries and home invasions, believing his home had been burglarized. He went to the door with intentions to protect his home. He was cleaning the gun before Steele arrived, Philpott said, and then opened the door.

"The question you're going to have to answer is, did constable Steele overreact to a fraught situation?" Philpott told the jury.

The jury also heard testimony from state police investigators and Richard Pickles, the former Penn Twp. Police chief who responded to the scene. Other testimony came from maintenance personnel at the apartment complex and one of the responding emergency medical technicians from Duncannon EMS.

Two of the most important testimonies of the day came from Steele and Sherry Meyer. She the wife of Donald Meyer and Ciara's mother, who was inside the home that day.

Steele said he had met Donald Meyer on two previous occasions, while serving court paperwork related to the eviction. Each of those times, Steele never had a problem. "(Meyer) was respectful to me," he said.

But then came eviction day.

As Steele rewatched the video that Hill took of the incident, and answered attorneys' questions, his voice choked with emotion.

Steele said he knocked on the apartment door several times around 10 a.m. and saw someone peeking through the blinds. He motioned for them to come out. The door opened only enough for Donald Meyer to put his head out. Steele said he identified himself as a constable, informed Meyer it was eviction day, and they had to leave the apartment. Steele testified that when Meyer said he wasn't going to let that happen, "the hairs stood up on my neck."

Steele said he saw Ciara Meyer briefly, then when he looked back, Donald Meyer was raising the rifle at his chest.

"I knew I was taking a bullet," Steele said, adding he was waiting for the muzzle flash. "He had me. He was going to kill me."

Steele said he instinctively drew his pistol and fired, never even hearing his own gunshot in the chaos. He had to fire to preserve his life, he testified. It wasn't until later when police began investigating that Steele learned Ciara Meyer had been hit and killed.

Sherry Meyer had been sleeping on the couch when she was awakened by the exchange between her and husband and Steele.

She said she heard Donald saying, "You're not coming into my house." Then she heard Ciara say, "No, daddy, no." Then came the gunshot. Sherry tried to wake Ciara, now on the floor unresponsive, not knowing she had been shot.

She said Donald slipped on the floor and landed on his back. Sherry testified he told her, "If you know what's good for you, put the gun away. She put the rifle back in the bedroom gun safe.

After testifying, Sherry Meyer needed help leaving the witness stand because she's aided by a walker. There was a brief exchange between Donald Meyer and Jason Gehman, Sherry's brother, before others urged him to let it go and leave.

Later, outside the courthouse, Gehman said Donald Meyer had laughed as Sherry was being helped from the witness stand and he responded, "What are you laughing at?" Gehman said he was sorry he reacted, but he was frustrated by Meyer's behavior in a case that has been so devastating to the family.

Perry County Judge Kenneth Mummah, who's presiding over the trial, recessed for the day at 4:15 p.m. after Sherry Meyer's testimony. The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 26.